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Greenwich shines in super PAC era

By CHARLES MAHTESIAN

05/31/2012 03:00 AM EDT

When the first great book of the super PAC era is written, its best material will probably come from the 2012 GOP presidential nominating race.

But there will also be a chapter on American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, and sections dealing with the incumbent-hunting Campaign for Primary Accountability; the college kid whose personal super PAC helped elect a member of Congress; and comedian Stephen Colbert’s do-it-yourself “Super Fun PAC” political committee registration kit.

In one corner was NBA basketball star Grant Hill. In another was Linda McMahon, who spent $50 million of her own money in 2010 in a race for the U.S. Senate. Nearby was David Einhorn, who made headlines last year by offering $200 million to buy a stake in the New York Mets baseball team.

At the center of it all was the host, Leonard Tannenbaum, a Republican who gathered the group for his first political fundraiser. Tannenbaum is just entering the political arena, but he was guaranteed to make a splash by inviting movers-and-shakers — and some reporters — to his 10,000-square-foot, 10-bathroom Greenwich mansion, which is large enough to seat more than 50 people comfortably in a side living room.

Welcome to campaign fundraising in 2012.

While Greenwich’s leading role in funding political campaigns isn’t exactly new, the super PAC era has enhanced its standing as a prime fundraising locale -- and underscored its importance on the political map.

The wealthy Connecticut town is now “ground zero for [Mitt] Romney’s money efforts,” according to the Courant, which points out that ”four Greenwich titans” have contributed a combined $1.5 million to Restore our Future, a super PAC that backs Romney.